# Puff Monthly Tobacco Review: Peterson's University Flake



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

Well is is a new month, and that means we have a new tobacco to smoke and review! So here it is, post your University Flake reviews, thoughts, and comments here in this thread.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

New stuff! New stuff!

This month's winner is not only a first tobacco-wise, it was actually the first real-live tin that I've ever purchased. So far it's all been my noob trade (thanks again and always, jfserama) and bulk-container buys for me, which isn't a bad thing considering the free tobacco always out at my B&M and the selection of P. Stokkebye and CCC stuff (I understand that is an Altadis thing - haven't tried any of it) up for grabs in jars. I grabbed the one and only tin of uni-flake from the Peterson box and waited for today to sit and enjoy it. To get warmed up for this afternoon I enjoyed a pipe of English Lux on the way to work, but that is apropos of....nothing.

After a meal this afternoon (salmon if you were curious) I rubbed the flake and loaded the pipe (see below), setting it aside for a bit. While waiting I cleansed my palate with lime and tonic - the oils in the salmon would overpower just about anything so I wanted to get things pristine.

As to the tobacco, in the tin it smells great. The sweetness of the Virginia is right there for you, and there is a (to me) very pleasant plum note that is immediately evident, but not overpowering by any means. If you let the nose waft rather than inhaling it the plum note almost opens to a currant, and there was a very faint nuttiness in there lurking as well.

The tobacco sat for about 30 minutes on paper before I loaded up my pipe and let it sit for a bit longer. It loaded in the pipe very easily and teased me while I finished with dinner and the news.

The tobacco lit easily and stayed as such. I was trying to pay more attention to pacing this time as well, but I find it informative to abuse the tobacco a bit when figuring out its idiosyncrasies. I took the first half of the bowl fairly slow. There was a slight sweetness and little or nothing of the plum there, and the smoke itself was what I would best term "balanced." I was quite enjoying things thus far. The wind came up and the pipe started running hot, so as I moved closer to the halfway point I moved under cover and let it slow down. Can't wait for spring - it's hard to be all "sophisticated pipe guy" while smoking in a metal storage shed. Anyway, there was a bit of warmth to my hand - hard to tell for me as I have nerve damage in my hands (thanks US army!) but nothing approaching bite on the tongue. Then I retrohaled.

Oh man - this is good. Retrohaling brought exactly ZERO of the peppery tobacco note that I often get in cigars, and there was that plum. Not overpowering by any means - just there saying "howdy" in the background. Creamy smoke with Virginia sweetness complemented by the plum. This was getting interesting. I let the bowl cool down and could then taste the subtle plum note that I could discern on retrohaling. 

I enjoyed sipping the pipe through the rest of the half, ran a pipe cleaner through the stem and stoked the fire a bit. I decided to abuse it at this point, so I pulled on the pipe like it was a plugged cigar. The smoke warmed a bit and the flavor faded (expected that), but still little or no bite. I was only able to get a bit of tongue bite with long pulls on the pipe, and it was nothing to write home about. As I sit and type it is completely gone. I slowed the burn, tamped a bit, and enjoyed the rest of the bowl while Shady the mutt chased a 2x4 around my yard. Best mutt ever.

In the end I really enjoyed this tobacco - at least as well as if not more than anything I've smoked in a pipe as of yet. Star ratings and numbers don't really mean much without a rubric (has anyone ever developed one for reviews here? that might be interesting), but I believe that I can sum up how I feel about uni flake in a nutshell. When I run out - and I will - I will immediately replace it. This is good stuff.


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## Bent Stem (Nov 10, 2008)

*"it's hard to be all "sophisticated pipe guy" while smoking in a metal storage shed"*

I liked that part. Not familiar with this one myself so can't comment on it. You write good reviews though for a newb! Good job and thanks!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Excellent, Brian! UF is definitely one of my favorite flakes and I haven't had any in quite a while. I'm looking forward to firing some up in the coming days -- just a few more containers to empty to make room. :smile:


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

After going through about half the tin, I've found Uni Flake puzzling...not bad, but not that great. 

The tin note is phenomenal. Plums and a little berry (blueberry?). It literally smells good enough to eat. My 9 year old son (resident tobacco sniffer and expert in tin note :mrgreen: ) agreed.

It is presented as neat clean and uniform flakes. Appearance wise, they look like Peterson Irish Flake (not surprising). It's been a while since I had any IF, but if memory serves, Uni Flake's flakes are larger.

I'm getting best results with leaving the flakes out on a paper plate for 4 hours, then folding and stuffing. Yes, 4 hours. It doesnt feel wet in the tin at all, oddly enough. I tried leaving a flake out for an hour, and it still didn't taste right...I was gonna go 2 hours, but I forgot about it until 4 hours and it turns out that works, so I'm going with it.

The flavor I get is not at all what I expected. It's mainly a mild earthy taste, with just a hint of the plum topping on retrohale. Not unpleasant, just not what I expected. Smoking it right out of the tin leads that earthy musty taste to taste and feel unpleasantly wet (hence the long drying times I've been trying), though it does seem to burn ok and never gurgled. Anywho, I found the earthy flavor to be strikingly similar to C&D Purple Cow (strange since they're very dissimilar blends). I'd call the nicotine level right about medium.

I found Uni Flake not bad, but I dont anticipate buying more. Except for the topping (which I could scarcely taste anyway) it's so similar to Purple Cow to me that I dont see the need to keep both of them around, and Purple Cow is much better to me.


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

Great reviews guys, keep 'em coming. Clifford, I tend to agree with you on the taste... not really what I was expecting. I am still working on my review, but I should have time to get it up in the next week or two.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Tonight, I left a flake out for about 3 hours. It seemed drier than my previous 4 hour one. It's getting warm here and we've been running the AC off and on, so the air is probably a little drier in my house than before. It still wasn't crispy, but the flake "splintered" more this time when folded rather than just bending like a piece of rubber like it does right out of the tin. The cob I grabbed tonight has a larger diameter bowl, and fold and stuff wasn't working so I rubbed it out.

The earthiness is a little less prominent tonight, but it's still the main flavor. The plum topping is coming through a bit more, but it's still quite faint. I'd also like to add that the plum topping doesn't taste sweet at all to me. I do pick up a little Virginia sweetness when I sip very very carefully, but I've got to hunt for it; and the sweetness is on the Virginia tobacco and not on the plum topping, if that makes sense.

So I had slightly better luck with it tonight. Still not a new favorite.


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> Tonight, I left a flake out for about 3 hours. It seemed drier than my previous 4 hour one. It's getting warm here and we've been running the AC off and on, so the air is probably a little drier in my house than before. It still wasn't crispy, but the flake "splintered" more this time when folded rather than just bending like a piece of rubber like it does right out of the tin. The cob I grabbed tonight has a larger diameter bowl, and fold and stuff wasn't working so I rubbed it out.
> 
> The earthiness is a little less prominent tonight, but it's still the main flavor. The plum topping is coming through a bit more, but it's still quite faint. I'd also like to add that the plum topping doesn't taste sweet at all to me. I do pick up a little Virginia sweetness when I sip very very carefully, but I've got to hunt for it; and the sweetness is on the Virginia tobacco and not on the plum topping, if that makes sense.
> 
> So I had slightly better luck with it tonight. Still not a new favorite.


Yeah, I get very transient hints of the topping, but it may be me looking for it more than anything. I agree it isn't one of my favorite tobaccos... I am having a hard time smoking it when I have so many other blends to smoke...


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

Peterson - University Flake
From the tin:_ "An easy smoking blend of fine Virginia and Burley tobaccos, made in the traditional way." 
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In The Tin/Pouch
The tin is full of dark flake tobacco, the flakes themselves are wider and thinner that Peterson's Irish Flake and more like the flakes of Orlik Golden Sliced. The tin note smells just slightly sweet and a little fruity. The moisture level is on par with most flakes, they may seem ok, but benefit greatly from some drying time. 

The Burn
When properly dried out this tobacco burns well, I did find that an hour or more of drying time seemed to work best. I did occasionally have to run a pipe cleaner through the stem, but there were no major moisture issues. 

The Smoke
The flavor that I got from this tobacco is mostly an earthly taste, if memory serves it is reminiscent of Irish Flake, only much milder. I did occasionally get very transient hints of the topping, but in retrospect it could have been all in my head. I was trying to taste the topping, and I had some expectations as to what this tobacco would taste like, and I could have tasted something that wasn't there. I didn't experience any bite with this tobacco even when I abused it a little. 

The Packaging, and Price
This tobacco comes in a 50 gram square tin, inside the tin the flakes are carefully wrapped in paper and sealed with the Peterson sticker. This is probably one of the more widely available tobaccos, and chances are if you have a local tobacco shop they probably carry it. Online you can get it at just about every pipe tobacco site, and its price seems about fair at around $10.00 a tin. 

The Bottom Line
I really wanted to like it and I have heard many positive things about it, but I just couldn't seem to enjoy it as much as I had expected too. It's OK, but there are many other tobaccos that I enjoy a lot more and they will certainly push this one down my list.


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## szyzk (Nov 27, 2010)

Another short review...

While I have had the same experiences as you guys, I do enjoy this blend very much and always keep some on hand (and some is also aging away). The sweetness of the VAs are there, the buttery earthiness of the blend is there, the plum flavoring is in the mix but it's blended well and mostly complex enough that it doesn't steal the show, and the mild, low hay taste - which is almost sort of "bran" tasting to me - show themselves at times.

The only thing fussy about UF is the preparation - I, too, prefer it left sans-tin for 1 to 2 hours and my presentation of choice is roughly broken - because once lit, it doesn't demand attention.

I find it a little odd that this is advertised as an aromatic because, in perhaps my naivete, I associate "aromatic" with "smells great, less taste", and I don't walk away from this blend wishing that the overall flavor was more prominent. Will it become my daily VA? No, but not every tobacco is FVF... Do I enjoy UF greatly, though, and have a taste for it at times that nothing else will quench? Certainly!


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## Joeluka (Nov 21, 2009)

I just opened a tin and put it in a mason jar to start the drying process. I left one slice on the counter to smoke today so I'll let you know after I try it.

Joe


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

The list of flavorings in Royal Yacht, as shown at tobakrevs, consist of coffee, brandy and plum, so I like to think of University Flake as Royal Yacht's younger cousin, not yet ready for coffee and booze. Audrey said immediately that it smelled like plum, when I asked her about the aroma after lighting up this Savinelli of UF -- barely. She gave it a while, then walked into the room and said it mostly smelled "woodsy" but not much of anything in particular. With this objective view of the room note, I feel safe in saying that the topping stands far in the background while smoking and does not stand up to the label "aromatic" as I use it. Indeed, Royal Yacht meets the technical standard of an aromatic, but smells awful to most people, including me. (Not that I don't like smoking RY!) In this regard, one could say that UF is more aromatic than RY, given that "aroma" carries a connotation different from "stench". 

The past few days have seen the UF -- closing in on two years old -- smoked as a fresh musketball in my Mayfair, a larger fresh musketball in the Sasieni Canadian, fresh but rubbed out in the 2Dot apple, rubbed out and dried in the 4Dot and now again in the Savinelli. It all works. I notice the plum taste more in the fresh tobacco, not surprisingly, since the volatile plum esters evaporate and dissipate quickly, but in a larger pipe the plum flavor asserts itself subtly throughout the smoke, regardless of preparation. I suspect that one receives a larger hit of the topping in the beginning, but the difficulties of lighting the fresh flake probably evaporate the "extra" topping rather quickly and that most of the duration of smoking the bowl will not change all that much in terms of how much one can taste or smell plum regardless of preparation. 

That said, I can still detect a slight taste of plum as I puff the last of this pipe, damping up the last of the dottle. It has just gone out. A quick shake of the pipe over the ashtray reveals nothing but ash. The tobacco burns without incident, fresh or dry, once lit, but fresh it can require a few matches and tamps to get it started properly. I prefer to smoke it as a musketball fresh and a "standard" fill (however you may define that) rubbed out dry. Rubbed out fresh as a Frank fill merely makes for a longer smoke than a musketball and can easily demand a relight, especially in a larger pipe. All in all, University Flake behaves itself well practically any way you prepare it or load it.

Not as strong as its big cousin, Royal Yacht, but still a stout lad! The nicotine level of University Flake certainly meets the medium to strong standard. It offers up nicotine in a palatable way, with milder Virginias sweetening the blunt burley, making for a full taste throughout the bowl. I find University Flake a nice midpoint between aircraft carriers of the Vitamin N Fleet, like Bayou Morning Flake, Happy Bogie or JackKnife Plug, and the pleasure cruisers like Full Virginia Flake or Scotch Flake Aromatic -- maybe a yacht not quite in a league with the royal boat.

With that painful analogy, which cost me far too much thought to erase (in spite of any humiliation it may cause me), I end by saying that not only will I buy it again, but that I have bought it more than once in the past. I always enjoy my tins of University Flake when I open them, but with so many tobaccos of merit for me to smoke, it doesn't always fit into the rotation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose, and every few months I invite it back to the "open" shelf.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

I placed this tobacco in my rotation for about the last 3 weeks now and I’ve smoked nearly the whole tin. Which is a lot better than the last couple of tobaccos that we have reviewed. The previously reviewed tobaccos lasted about 6-8 bowls and then were jarred up for aging because I wasn’t really impressed with them. But this one is almost gone and I will be getting some more to have on hand.

From the Tin: I found this to be a very pleasant smell. It was fruity sweet smelling to me, which instantly peeked my interest.

Loading the bowl: I just love flake tobaccos and thus I loved this one. The preparation of rubbing it out and letting it dry a little is just a pleasurable task each time I do it. I had no problems rubbing this tobacco out and for me it didn’t really need a lot of drying. Maybe about 20-40 minutes. I smoked this in a few pipes, all of them smoked it very well. 

The smoke: I had no problems lighting and keeping the bowl lit. Smoke was plentiful, just right. The taste was awesome to me, a light sweet smoke. I am not a person that can tell you that I tasted a hint of this or that. The vitamin N was light to me, not strong at all.

Conclusion: I loved this tobacco. For now, I plan on ordering some more of this and keeping a tin within reach. I’m still experimenting with different tobaccos so I won’t have it daily or even monthly but I will diffidently keep this around and will pull it into my rotation from time to time.

P.S.

On room note: I can never really speak good to room note because I am the one smoking it but I had this one occasion where I was out side by my truck smoking and a lady came by. She said "Oh my, I haven't smelled a pipe in years! And that smells just lovely!".


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm sorry that I didn't get a review in on this one, but if I had I would've listed "crunch berry cereal" as the fruity tin note that I get. That is not an original thought of mine, but one that I got from the guy that gave me my first taste of University Flake about a year ago (Username for those that remember him). Since he mentioned that, I get that aroma every time. Almost like its ingrained in my mind. I even detect it in the smoke, although much less prominent and fading with each puff. For some reason the Peterson Flakes (uni and irish) have fallen off my favorites list in favor of other, more complex tobaccos.

Good reviews everyone!


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